


The Ocean's Calling

by PeggyandthePenguins



Series: Heed the Ocean's Warning [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Gore, Hopefully Slow Burn, Hypocrisy, Mild Language, Sibling Love, Smut, Some Straw Hats kill, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-05-20 05:46:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19370716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeggyandthePenguins/pseuds/PeggyandthePenguins
Summary: He was just supposed to be a one-night stand, never to be seen again. Instead, his straw hat wearing captain— soon to be hers— just had to come along to give her the world and so much more. Conflicted, she turned to her beloved ocean for its wisdom and it responded.





	1. The Ocean's Meeting

Shells Town was doomed. Doomed from the ever-corrupted Captain Morgan and his stupid ass son, whose name Seraphina couldn’t even bother to remember. She had been here for a bit over a year, more than she planned, and maybe a bit too long given how the corruption had gotten even worse. Her land lord had risen the rent to cover Morgan’s taxes. Even if she liked to keep her home minimal for convenience of traveling, Seraphina only had one job and would need to get another soon to support the growing rent; that or move on to the next village. She probably should, she did promise her mother to travel the world then return to her duties when she was satisfied.

The light blue haired woman wiped down the restaurant table as thought back to how she came here. She chose this Sea, the East Blue, because she heard it was the mildest of the Blues. Not many pirates, not much commotion. Good. But then here she was, paying taxes to a corrupted Marine official. Maybe should go to that Baratie place that was still hiring, she had heard that it paid well. Hm, then again, it was on the sea. Damn, why does she even stay here?

“PHINA-CHAN!” a high-pitched voice called over the restaurant noise. A small brunette poked her head from out of the kitchen and immediately Seraphina’s question was answered. She stayed for this cute little human. The young child bounced out from behind the curtains blocking the sight of the kitchen, her piggy tails moving up and down as the girl bounced. “Phina-chan! Order!”

“Alright, Rika-chan. I’m coming,” Seraphina threw down her towel behind the bar as she finished wiping down the table. Snaking through the crowd, she made her way to the counter, picking up her dishes and served her tables. Returning to her real station, behind the bar, the bluenette cleaned up the just emptied spot of its mugs and snuck a quick glance at the clock- 10:28 at night. Oh thank god. Morgan’s dumbass son won’t come today.

Wood groaning under someone’s weight had the bluenette turning back to her station. Instead of the once empty seat, there was now a green haired man, his three— three?— swords resting next to him, leaning on the bar counter. Huh, his hair reminded her of algae. Seraphina walked over, straightening her posture, her breasts lifting up as she did so. She wanted to get a closer look at the plant man. His gaze flicked over her, pausing for a moment on her breasts that were currently threatening to spill out of her corset, then finally coming up to meet her smirking lips and a raised brow. Oh yeah. She knew he was checking her out.

“Anything you’d like, swordsman?” the barista smirked, her gentle voice reaching the algae head’s ears.

There were many things he would like, a few of which the barista could provide, but he settled on what would the most appropriate answer in this situation. “Just a mug of ale.”

“Is that all?” Seraphina quickly scanned the swordsman. He was wearing a simple white shirt with a green belly warmer— how cute, it almost matches his hair— and a darker pair of pants, not to mention a dark green bandana tied around his arm. He had a look on his face that commanded attention, his aurora dominating everyone else’s. But it was his eyes that mostly caught her attention, his eyes full of seriousness, a strong determination, and passion— ohhh….. how she liked his eyes. She set down a fresh mug of ale for him.

“For now,” the man replied with a smirk, giving another glance over her tits.

Seraphina smiled and went back to her work, cleaning out some old mugs, although still sneaking small glances at the swordsman. All of which he noticed. “What’s your name, swordsman? I don’t want to call you that all night.”

“Roronoa Zoro.” He supplied with his own cocky smirk. Hmm, where did she hear that name before? Oh yeah! Now it makes sense! He was that new pirate hunter going around. He was quickly gaining his name. At least, in East Blue. “Yours?”

“Seraphina,” the barista purred in her Grand Line accent, giving another look over the green haired man with her golden eyes. He was nice to look at. “Hmm… So what is a swordsman doing in this town?”

Zoro took in a deep breath. “I got lost.”

Seraphina did a double take. A guy like that getting lost? “You’re… lost?”

“Yes. I’m trying to get back to my village.”

“Hmm,” Seraphina stood flabbergasted. _You’re fucking joking,_ she thought. Maybe she could help him get back home. “Where are you from?”

“Shimotsuki Village,” Zoro breathed out, looking down at his mug. Seraphina did another double take. Shimotsuki Village was not that far away, just about on the other side of the island, but the island wasn’t that big to begin with. Okay, maybe a few days walk, but nothing too intense. How the fuck did he get lost?

“That’s on this island, just maybe a few days walk northeast of here,” Seraphina supplied to the unbelievably lost swordsman in a gentle tone.

“Ah,” another voice cutting into the conversation, a voice which belonged to the restaurant’s owner, Ririka. “And what are you doing in here in this village? Not just here to flirt with our bartenders and get directions, I hope?”

“Ririka-san!” Seraphina exclaimed, turning to face the mother of Rika who was currently grinning a teasing grin at the two. A light blush could be seen on both the swordsman and the barista. “I wasn’t flirting, I—”

“Tell that to all the other men I’ve seen you bring back to your home,” Ririka playfully admonished, while Zoro raised his brow at this sentence.

“Ririka-san!”

Ririka laughed, heading back into the kitchen area, getting ready to clean up and shut down the kitchen. She called out over her shoulder, “You can leave earlier today!”

Ah, Seraphina had almost forgotten. She had told the owner that she was leaving soon. For real this time. She wanted to travel the world and traveling the world requires, well, traveling. Ririka had given her a little extra time to pack away her few belongings before she left tomorrow. Seraphina turned to Zoro who looked as if he was getting ready to leave— holy crap, he drunk his booze fast—, his coins resting on the countertop. This was when Seraphina made a decision that would unknowingly lead her on the greatest adventure she would ever lead in her life time; she was going to fuck the green haired man before she left this corrupted town. “I get off in half an hour if you want to wait.”

Zoro paused, his hands just about to pick up his swords when he turned back to the bluenette with a smirk on his face. “I thought you’d never ask.”

That’s all she needed.

The rising swordsman returned to gathering up his swords, heading out the door to preferably to wait for her outside, lest he get lost. She shook her head. He’s hopeless. Seraphina quickly cleaned her station, anxious to start her night with the sexy swordsman. Once finished with the last of her duties, she gathered her last belongings from behind the counter and left without saying goodbye to the owner and her daughter. She never really was very good at farewells. Heading out into sleeping village, the now former barista looked for the green haired man.

Bingo.

He was leaning against the building, arms crossed and face blank. The bluenette finally took notice of how tall he was, just about a head taller than her, enough for Zoro to be able to rest his chin on her head if he so wished. Zoro turned at the sight of her, another one of his soon to be famous smirks gliding across his face.

“Zoro,” Seraphina purred, rolling the ‘r’ and straightening her posture to push her breasts out a bit more. “Why don’t I lead you to my place?”

Zoro glanced down, then back up to her eyes with a grin on his face. “Lead the way.”

And so she did with the plant man trailing just behind her, letting herself swish her hips a bit more to let her skirt sway with her steps. She hoped it was getting his attention. As she reached her apartment building, she struggled to unlock the door— she was awful with keys— and was reassured with a firm grip on her waist and a gentle bite on her ear lobe. His affections were met with a sharp intake of her breath. He was so forward.

“Sera,” the man purred, “I’m getting impatient.”

Seraphina snickered softly. He was going to be a fun one. “We’re almost there. Patient is a virtue.”

Zoro growled. Oh, how it sent shivers down her spine. The door swung open, showing her possession-bare apartment building to the wandering swordsman. The former barista led him, showing him to the bedroom after closing her apartment door. The walls were bare. Although truthfully, they had always been bare; she had never bothered to personalize her temporary living space. The only things that were there were her few bags leaning against the bedroom wall stuffed with her clothes, her jewelry, and the money she had worked for.

“Going somewhere?” Zoro nodded towards the bags with a raised eyebrow.

“Tomorrow.”

He kept his eyebrow raised.

“Don’t worry about it,” the woman said, beginning to strip down. “Let’s just focus on tonight.”

Zoro nodded, furrowing his brow, thinking of something. “What are the rules? How do you want it?”

Oh. So straight forward. Seraphina looked up from her stripping, her corset already off and her skirt getting ready to go. She paused for a moment, thinking on what she really did want. Hm… what was she in the mood for? The woman looked over her partner for the night— unknowingly the rest of her life—, scanning his body for what would best suit him and her mood. She glided over to him, running her long nails down his shirt, gently tugging on the clothing. She leaned in close. “Rough.”

That was all the swordsman needed. He pushed her down on the bed, tugging her skirt off, only slightly pausing when he realized she was just wearing a thong. She really did do this often. He continued from his small shock— he really should have expected that— to start working on her shirt. Unbuttoning the white blouse to reveal her bare, perky breasts, Zoro started nipping on her left breast, rolling her right nipple in his fingers. He was rewarded with her moan, a deep sultry moan, heat pooling in her lower regions. It was the kind of moans Zoro likes. Her fingers danced across his abdomen, reaching lower to pull off his shirt.

“You’re far too dressed, Zoro,” the barista pouted. And he was, he hadn’t removed anything— except his swords, but that didn’t count. “Come on, I wanna see those muscles of yours.”

He complied, temporarily leaving her embrace to remove his clothing despite his wanting to touch her more. The young man, finally free from his clothing, moved back into his hostess’s arms, quickly slipping his fingers deep inside her, prepping her for his member. Seraphina hissed, not expecting him to move so quickly. She said rough, and Zoro was going to give it to her. He looked over her face, making sure she was still okay. The feeling of his eyes over her body causing the bluenette to shiver under his gaze.

“Ready?” The swordsman questioned, still moving his fingers inside of her. This session was going to be a quick one. She didn’t mind though, she needed to wake up early anyway and who knows what Zoro had to do.

She nodded, preparing herself for Zoro. It wasn’t as if he was the biggest she had ever seen, he was a decent size, although a bit more girthy. No, it was his force, his thrusts, she was preparing herself for. She could tell in the way he moved, the way he talked, that he was a man of power, strength, force, and oh was she right.

The swordsman wrapped his arms around her thighs, spreading her legs for him to get better access to her heat. He wouldn’t get to explore all of her body tonight, but if he ever met her again— which he would, but he didn’t know that at the time— he would take his time with her. The woman who called herself Seraphina with that odd accent was a thing of beauty, that he knew, and someone had to acknowledge that fact and tonight it would be him.

Seraphina moaned her loudest as her partner thrust deep within her for the first time. She started praising the stars under which Zoro was born, thanking them for bringing the said man to her. Zoro started to speed up, his thrusts becoming ragged and random, varying in depth. His partner didn’t mind. She just liked how he stretched her, spreading her wider than she had ever been, moaning and panting under his straining form as he pounded into her most sensitive spots.

She came first, quivering under his still thrusting form, moaning his name and scratching at his back like an animal. He followed her not shortly after her, grunting as he came. When he finished, the green haired man collapsed next to her, turning on his side so he could wrap his arms around her. Sitting up slightly, she pulled the covers over their naked forms, reveling in the after math of their sex, and turned off the lights.

It wasn’t until she was drifting off on the gentle clouds that was sleep that she realized the lone swordsman never kissed her. Seraphina didn’t mind though; he wouldn’t be here in the morning and she would never see him again. She needed to leave, to keep traveling, for the ocean was calling her name. And she must answer.


	2. The Ocean's Reunion

Seraphina had gotten the job at the Baratie as a barista and the occasional musician, just as she wanted. She would stay no more than six months— for sure this time. She didn’t want to make the mistake like she did last time with getting too attached to the people. Luckily for her, the only people working here were just men, no cute adorable children that could sucker her in for another month; that was how she had stayed so long in Shell Town.

To be honest, some of the workers were quiet annoying. Cough, Sanji, cough. Although he was growing on her. She recalls when she first met him, his eyes bulging with hearts— how was that possible?— and his immediate exclamation of his undying love for her. Okay…. That was fast. She stood there shocked, until Zeff explained to her that he did that to all the females. Since then, Seraphina had witnessed the said man ungraciously… flirt, I guess she could call it that, although it was more appreciation of the fairer sex. Either way, the new member of the Baratie was used to him.

The woman stood in front of her— temporary— bedroom mirror, the room quite lonesome and large, it was meant for more than one person, but she wouldn’t be allowed to sleep with the men despite their—really just Sanij’s— exclaims at Zeff’s words. She buttoned up her black vest over her white-collar shirt, her typical blouse and corset hidden away in her still packed bags. Zeff wanted her to look classy and elegant, this was a fine diner after all. She tied her blue hair in a loose side ponytail, allowing the hair to rest over her shoulder with her side sweep bangs get in the way of her eyes. It wouldn’t bother her. Finally ready for her day, the woman removed herself from her sleeping quarters.

She was manning the bar today. Which was fine by her, it was her forte: the best mixologist in the East Blue. Wiping down the counter, making sure she got every spot cleaned down, she had her pride as a mixologist on the line after all. The majority of the day went on as usual, spending the entirety actually mixing drinks— these costumers actually had “finer” tastes other than the usual ale or beer back at Shell Town. It wasn’t until mid-day when her regular schedule took a turn.

CRASH!

Blue hair whipped around, looking for the commotion. That sound was too loud for it to be plates crashing on the floor— besides, Sanji would never waste food like that. No, that was something else. Pirates?

“SERA-SWAMA!” Sanji’s voice rang out, his iconic blond hair popping out from around the corner.

The said woman bit her bright red lipstick clad lip. She didn’t want to deal with the chivalrous Sanji already, she could only take so much. “Yes, Sanji?”

“Are you alright?” His voice dropped a few levels, cigarette stuck between his lips.

“Yes,” she smiled back. “Thank you for asking.”

“AH! Sera-sama thanked me!”

She left the man to himself. Seraphina really was grateful even if it was just a habit of the ero-cook. Any woman would love to be looked after like how Sanji looks after any woman. The barista was going to take as much as she could get before she left. And she was going to leave after six months!

“Oh,” the chef spoke. “We have another customer.”

And so they did. A darker skinned man, with a silver haired beauty by his side, stood in the Baratie doors, his aura steaming arrogance. Seraphina didn’t like those kinds of men. Oh well, he was a customer after all.

“I’ll take care of them, Sera-sama.”

“Thank you, Sanji,” the barista smiled at the cook, returning to her pile of drink orders, shaking and stirring according to their recipes that were ingrained into her head.

“This wine is Iturutz Burger Stein! Am I right, waiter?”

Seraphina looked up from her concoction, only to find the rest of the restaurant observing the apparent Lieutenant with his silver haired partner. Poor marine, Sanji’s probably messing with him. He likes to do that to the marines. Her suspicions were confirmed when Sanji slammed the bottle on the table and denied the marine’s claims, and the barista went back to her work, only stopping when Sanji returned back to the bar to pick up the drinks.

“Sanji,” the bluenette called out, “don’t you think you are being a bit mean today?”

“Sera-sama,” the chef’s voice low with his cigarette hanging out in its classic way. “You know I don’t like those kinds of men.”

The bluenette laughed, light and airy, at the man’s words. She merely handed him a small tray of dishes, all perfect as they should be, and took another tray of her own. It was just two of them waiting on tables, the others had all ran away after a few weeks ago— it was how she had gotten the job; Zeff was desperate.

“Waiter!”

Seraphina looked back at the Lieutenant’s voice— it was always him wasn’t it? She saw Sanji with him, so she ignored his call. Sanji would be able to handle the atrocious man.

SMASH!

Head wiping around, the woman spotted the table chopped in half, dishes shattered on the floor, and, most importantly, the soup spilt on the floor. Oh… Sanji will definitely not like that. The barista set down the tray on the bar counter, getting behind the bar to get to the spare towels meant for dropped plates, not shattered tables. How childish this man was being, it wasn’t cute! Another sound echoed through the now silent restaurant, however this time it came with a sickening crunch. The woman, still behind the bar, looked up to see Sanji’s hand plastered to the man’s face, his blood leaking through his skin. Looks like the towels will be needed for another reason.

“Don’t waste food.”

Oh boy, she’s going to have to get Zeff. Seraphina threw down her towels, making sure to set them on the counter top so they were easily accessible, and climbed up the steps all the way to the sleeping quarters. She knocked on Zeff’s door. Only silence reached her, so the woman opened the door for a hole in the wall to greet her as the blue expanse gently rocked the ship. Another hole was seen on the floor, gapping wide. When the hell did this stuff happen? Seraphina carefully walked over to the hole, glancing down when she was confident she wouldn’t fall down.

Zeff and another red mass were laying on the floor, clutching their heads. Did they… fall? Seraphina darted back down the steps, running into a scene with Patty slamming his fists on a grungy man’s head, his seat splitting under him. Another one?! Where the hell are all these random people coming from? Oh, damn. Now the chair’s broken. And who’s going to sweep up the mess? Probably her.

“If you can’t pay for food, you’re not a customer,” the dark-skinned chef exclaimed, earning him cheers from the crowd. Not from her though, she was too focused on Sanji’s leaving form. Aww…. He was going to prep a meal for the starving pirate himself. She’ll go help him.

“Would you like some help, Sanji?” Seraphina smiled again after reaching the second floor, watching Sanji prep his cooking station.

“Ah, I wouldn’t dare let a lady do any more work than she needs to,” the gentleman spoke, his voice still low. “Although it would help if you would prepare an energizing drink.”

“Anything to help,” the woman nodded, getting straight to work. This wouldn’t be like her usual drinks, full of alcohol and sugary syrups. No, it would only include ingredients that would truly be helpful to the collapsed man. _Perhaps a vegetable juice would do?_ The bluenette tilted her head in thought. _Yes, yes it would._ Seraphina got to work copping and blending up various vegetables, the only sound in the kitchen being her blending and Sanji’s simmering. Sticking a small celery in the juice to give the appearance of an umbrella on an alcoholic drink, the barista walked over to a tray and set the glass down next to Sanji’s meal. Together they went out to the outside deck with Sanji setting down the tray in front of the food deprived man.

“It’s on the house,” the bluenette smiled her classic soft smile. The starving man looked up at his saviors, only backing away as he caught sight of the woman’s golden eyes.

“NO!” Gin jolted and shouted at the female, confusion growing on her face. “No, not you again!”

“I’m sorry?”

The man did a double take; his breath quickened when he caught sight of her eyes again. Realizing that the golden eyes did not belong to the man who destroyed their ships, the man calmed down. “I’m sorry, but even when I’m dying, I won’t take charity!”

Sigh. The bluenette leaned back against the guard rails, relieved that the man didn’t attack her but wondering what caused his outburst. Sanji sat down next to her. This guy was going to be a tough— and odd— one.

“Just shut up and eat it,” Sanji said as he blew out smoke. She let him talk on about the vast sea and loosing food in the middle of the ocean. She heard tidbits of his and Zeff’s story throughout her stay— not everything, but enough to know that they struggled with a lack of food for a time. Whatever he said to the cook said got the man to start eating, his munching evident from the sounds of his slobbering.

“Hey, you! It’s a good thing that he gave you food!”

Seraphina looked up towards the voice. The voice belonged to a dark-haired boy wearing a straw hat, a huge grin on his face. Aw…. He was kind of adorable. But where did she see that familiar hat?

“Ahahahaha. You almost died!” Seraphina sweatdropped. How was that something to laugh about? “Hey, cook! Join my crew!”

Uh… what? The boy jumped down, plopping himself next to Seraphina on the rails.

“Are you a pirate?” Seraphina asked, raising her brow as her mind drifted from the starving man’s outburst at her eyes. He certainly didn’t look like one.

“Yup!”

“Why did you shoot a cannon ball at us?” Sanji asked. Oh, so it was the boy who did that.

“Oh! It was an accident!” The boy smiled.

Seraphina smiled at the adorable captain— if he really was one. She left the three men to themselves, opting to start her work instead of waiting for the owner to start yelling at Sanji and her. Walking back into restaurant, the woman stopped in shock at the sight before her. It wasn’t the huge hole in the ceiling that the straw-hat boy caused. No, it was green haired customer leaning in one of the chairs. She never thought he would be the type to eat in a place like this.

The bluenette spotted his classic three swords resting by his side and his bandana tied on his arm. Gathering a few menus, the barista walked over to his table, spotting another man in overalls and an orangette.

“Anything you’d like, swordsman?” Seraphina purred at the man, her accent strong in the way she spoke. The woman didn’t notice the way the orange haired woman flinched as Sera set down the menus in front of his companions. Zoro sat up, straightening himself as he kept his eyes on her clothed backside as she leaned over in front of him. His companions gave him curious looks for their not well known friend.

“Do you know her, Zoro?” The orangette asked the teen, tilting her head while taking another look over the waitress.

“Uh... yeah….” He responded slowly, obviously not expecting the woman to be here. She smiled back at him, not expecting him to be here either.

“Oh!” The long-nosed man shouted out. “How do you two know each other?”

“We just kind of met in Shells Town,” the woman gave another smile and turned back to the swordsman, again not noticing how the orangette flinched at her accent. “I didn’t expect him to be here though. I thought you were going to go back to your village.”

Zoro hid his face in his drink, not wanting to answer the woman’s silent question by drinking his water. Seraphina took his silence as his answer. He got lost.

“Oh yes!” The short-haired woman spoke up, a fake smile on her face. She pointed to herself. “I’m Nami and this is Usopp.”

“Ah, I’m Phina, I’ll be your waitress for tonight.”

“So, what are you doing here? Sera,” the swordsman gruff voice spoke up from his water glass.

“I told you I was leaving Shells Town. I just got a better job,” the woman reminded the clueless swordsman. “Oh, yes! What would you like for your meals?”

Together they ordered their meals, letting the barista go for a moment to relay their orders to the cooks. After, she manned the bar to finish off the overflow of drink orders. The bell rang, signaling for Seraphina to take the ready meals to their hungry owners. She complied to the bell, returning to the kitchen and picking up the trio’s meals. Taking the tray, the barista carefully stepped down the stairs, still not used to this part of the job for the waiters had left a few days before and walked over to the trio.

“Yay!” Nami cheered, smiling widely as she spotted the bluenette. Seraphina smiled in return, setting down their meals on the table in front of them.

“Ooohhhhh, it looks so good,” Usopp exclaimed, obviously happy. Even Zoro straightened himself again as he saw her.

“Hey, waiter!” Nami shouted, waving to something behind Seraphina. The bluenette turned, finding a straw hat wearing boy standing on the stairs.

“Hey!” The raven-haired boy swung down from the steps and landed next to the woman.

“Oh! Luffy! I heard that you’ve gotta work here for a year!” The long-nosed customer called out to the young boy.

“Can we redraw the pirate flag?”

“Hey! What’s all this?” Luffy ignored the swordsman, focusing on the food in front of his friends. “Are you guys eating all this food without me!? Guys, that HURTS! How could you eat this without your captain?”

“Hey, you’re the one who got himself in trouble for a year,” Zoro replied, leaning the chair on two legs. Seraphina left their table, leaving themselves to their antics while she took care of Luffy’s jobs. She spotted Sanji flirting with another woman, hearts in his eyes and cigarette in his mouth, all the while she shook her head at the lovesick cook. He’s going to get himself taken advantage of one day.

CRASH

 _What the shit?_ Seraphina looked up. Yellow hair poked up from the ruins of a smashed table, the Straw Hat trio taking their food out of the way and onto their hands. Zeff was standing proudly before the mess. _God dammit, I’m going to be cleaning that up._

“How dare you hit your boss!” Zeff shouted at the downed cook.

“Sanji!” Sera shouted out in shock, unaware of what had happened between the two.

“I’m not going to leave! I’m going to be here until the day you go to hell!”

“Hmph,” the older man huffed at the other blond, “I won’t die. I’ll still be alive after a 100 years!”

Seraphina sweatdropped. He was a stubborn old man, she’ll give him that. Sera grabbed a nearby towel, the same ones she had left on the counter earlier and knelt down to clean the water off of her co-worker.

“Ohh…” A familiar high voice sprang up near her. Luffy. “Isn’t it great that he gave you his blessing!”

“NO!” Sanji barked at the straw hat wearing captain. Sanji stood up, brushing off the debris when he spotted the orangette. She already knew what was going to happen after that; his eyes would turn to hearts, his voice would get higher, and, most importantly, he would act like a gentleman. And it happened. Sanji went after the girl, a sneaky smile on her face. Oh, she definitely will take advantage of the lovesick cook.

Sera sighed, finished with the man, and turned back to the bar, feeling the stare of a green-haired man. She heard him say something along the lines of “do it yourself” to his long-nosed companion. The barista wanted to join in on their fun, she was a social creature after all, but she couldn’t form attachments. At least not here, not when she had all _that_ back home. After three years of traveling alone, she did want companions, friends. It had been so lone since she had seen any of her family.

It was nearing closing time, almost every customer had left to go back to their boats, everyone except the Straw Hats who were currently laughing and having fun with their captain. Said boy was supposed to be working, but, to be honest, he would be doing more damage actually working than just having fun like how he is now. So she let him goof off as she did his share of the work. It wasn’t much anyway, just basic stuff she had already been doing.

As she went along her job, she felt his eyes on her form. His simmering eyes that she knew she loved. She had almost forgotten what had happened that late night almost a month ago; his touching, his grunts, and her moans. He was one of her best past lover, although she couldn’t remember the other men’s names. It wouldn’t matter, she would never meet them again.

However, she couldn’t help sneaking glances back at the young swordsman. Hm…. Her father would have liked to meet him. Zoro’s aura screams passion for his dream, sheer ambition. Her father liked men like that, the ones who did whatever they could to achieve their goal. She didn’t know Zoro for long, but she could tell that he was that kind of man.

The tension built between them over the four days as they snuck glances at each other, building higher and higher like a mountain, going completely unaware to his crewmates and her co-workers. Oh, she wanted a two-night stand—and maybe a few more nights— and it was obvious he wanted one too, but the little scrutinizing glares sent her and Zoro’s way from Zeff set her straight.

And his captain did not make it easier. It was a day when Zeff put her on the floor for the entertainment, so she was playing her harp, one of the only two instruments she knew how to play besides her own vocal cords. Quite honestly, it scared the shit out of her when the boy sprang out of the kitchen when she started playing. He sprang down the stairs, bouncing and smiling widely. When he wrapped his arms around her, his skin stretching to reach what he commanded, her eyes widened in shock and maybe even slight disgust. And when she saw his stretching skin wrap around her, the abnormal rubbery organ rubbing against her, she screamed bloody murder as she dropped her harp. She was used to weird shit, but she was not expecting it in a Blue Sea, much less East Blue.

“JOIN MY CREW!” The boy yelled in her ear with the woman in a whimpering mess in her aftershock, all the costumers’ eyes on them. “Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

“Luffy!” The only female Straw Hat started admonishing her captain as she caught up to him and his stupid antics. “You can’t just start asking anyone to join the crew! And look at her! She’s in shock because of your stupid stretching!” Nami pulled on Luffy’s stretching cheek.

“Hey! We need a musician on the crew and she’s a musician! And Sanji’s friend! Then he’ll come to once she joins!” The captain argued, pouting at the orangette. His face got rounder as he pouted, his wide eyes getting wider and his pleading eyes started to get to her. Seraphina quivered inside when she saw his pout. _He’s so adorable!_ The women in her family could never say no to anything adorable, and Luffy would come to learn that fact.

“Wha— w— why? We don’t need a musician,” Usopp said from behind Nami. Seraphina didn’t realize when he had appeared.

“Yes we do!”

“Luffy, stop being selfish!” The captain’s first mate appeared, his gruff voice coming from behind her. “Now get off of her before you have to do more time for harassing the barista.”

“Hey! I’m not a fish!”

….

“What?” Zoro questioned, blinking slowly at his captain.

“No, Luffy,” Nami groaned. “ _Sel_ fish, not _shell_ fish.”

“Well, whatever!” Luffy looked up at the barista. “Join my crew!”

“Luffy, I can’t. You have to work here for a year anyway.” The woman tried pleading with the boy, for she knew that if he didn’t let up with his cute pout, she probably would agree to his demand.

“So wait!”

“Luffy, I can’t do that either. I leave in five months.” The bluenette could feel Zoro’s stares at the back of her head when she said this.

“So?!”

“Lu—”

“Hey, get off of my Sera-swama!” A flurry of blond yanked the raven-haired boy from Seraphina. The force knocked her off her feet, leading her into the arms of her one-night lover, his strong hands keeping her up.

“Hey, chore boy!” Zeff’s voice carried over from the steps. She could feel the owner’s stares on her already, especially since she was in Zoro’s arms. “Get back to work!”

The young boy tensed, his hand reaching up to the top of his hat as he smiled sheepishly at the owner. “Coming!”

The boy sprang up with a sickening snap of his arms. Seraphina shivered as she ears were assaulted by the noise.

“You’ll get used to it,” Zoro spoke from behind her, finally setting her upright.

“What?” She snapped. What did he mean by that? Were the pirates just going to kidnap her?

“Cause he’ll be working here for a year,” Zoro raised his eyebrow at her.

“Oh. Yeah.” She looked down at her dropped harp, and sighing softly, she bent down to gently pick it up. It was fine. Not damaged like she would have expected from the boy.

“The little girl misses you.”

She stopped in tracks, his voice was so soft she doubts she even heard him speak. Still, she turns back to face him, completely ignoring what she was supposed to be doing here. “Rika?”

“Uh…. Yeah. I guess. I don’t know the kid’s name.”

“Oh,” was her only response. I mean, what was she supposed to say to that. She up and left the mother and her child. Seraphina turned back to her harp, gently testing the strings. Who knows what damage the poor instrument had gotten from that overwhelming boy? As the swordsman left her, she continued to what she had been playing before. Oh, Zeff was going to give it to her tonight.

Not even 10 minutes later, someone had jumped out of his seat, exclaiming something about Don Krieg. Where had she heard of that name before? Everyone rushed forward to where the man was standing, their perverse want overriding their primal fear to see the so-called King of the East Blue. Seraphina hesitantly stopped her playing to go see what they were all freaking out at. So, she picked herself up and stood next to the windows.

While the ship was big, and impressive for an East Blue ship, it was… really shabby. The sails were torn, almost as if a fierce wind had shredded the fabric to shreds. The hull was… well, she was impressed the ship was still sailing. But….

“Why was it so banged up?” The barista had whispered mostly to herself. No natural weather phenomenon in the East Blue could cause something like this to the scale it was at. Not even a human. Well, at least not in East Blue. Paradise, maybe but not in the beginning, definitely more towards Sabaody. The New World, definitely. But who in the New World would want to come down all the way to the beginning of the Grand Line? There’s only one person who would do something like this to pirates in the Grand Line and she had an inkling of who it might be. She’s seen it first hand after all. She gripped her harp tighter. Hawk-eyes.

A tall, lanky shadow appeared in the window. It looked… like it was struggling? What? He stepped in the doorway and her questions were answered. The man called Don Krieg looked like shit. And that was an understatement. He was large but his collapsing form and dark bags under his eyes just took the intimidation away.

“Please,” the supposed captain’s voice was weak. She barely even heard him. “Can you give me water and something to eat? I have money! Please, just give me food!’

“What’s wrong with him? He doesn’t look very dreadful to me,” Seraphina heard a customer whisper.

And, well, he didn’t have to put it simply. He even needed help from his first mate to keep himself up.

“Please!” Gin pleaded. “Please help my captain! He hasn’t eaten for days!”

This only provoked more whispers from the customers.

“I won’t do anything! Please!” Then the captain dropped into a dogeza bow. Her eyes widened at the display; she’d never seen someone do that.

“Please stop! Please don’t beg!” Gin pleaded at his captain.

“Here, Gin. Give this to him.” Sanji, calm and collected, set down a dish in front of the starving captain despite the protests of his fellow cooks. Don Krieg immediately shoved his face in the food, devouring the freshly cooked meal as if it was his first.

“Sanji!” There was a harsh whisper besides her. “Don’t you know who that man is?”

Seraphina ignored the cook who whispered on Krieg’s abilities and cheap tricks, instead opting to look at the young boy. He was staring at Sanji’s back. What was he thinking? Don Krieg stood up, the woman straightening her back for what would come next. Her father taught her to always assume the worse, and she was certainly following that teaching.

Don Krieg slammed his arm down on Sanji, sending the blond man flying. Sanji’s co-waitress called out for him as Gin tried pleading with his unfaithful captain. Seraphina dropped down to Sanji, picking him off the floor and gently looking him over for injuries. Only softly smiling back at the bluenette, Sanji picked himself off the floor and patted her head while she was still down on the floor.

“Don’t worry about me, Sera,” Sanji smiled. He then turned back towards the kitchens while leaving a still shocked bluenette.

“Sanji?” She questioned.

“Don’t worry. I’m just going to the kitchen. I gotta feed 100 men after all,” he flashed another smile towards her.

“Sanji!” The straw hat boy exclaimed along with the other Baratie workers while Don Krieg only nodded. Not accepting Sanji’s actions, the workers pulled out their own guns, pointing the offending weapons at their fellow cook. Sanji paused, then slowly, getting their message, he opened his arms wide.

“Do it,” Sanji pressured. “I know he’s an ass, but that’s not my business. I don’t care what happens after they had their meal. I’m just a chef. And when people are hungry, I give them food.”

 _Holy shit. Wow._ Seraphina was stunned. So there were times he could be serious. The barista ignoring the other chefs around her, a few of who were trying to get their only female worker out of the sight of the offending pirate. The sight in front of her was astonishing; Patty had attacked Sanji with a swift punch to the head.

“Phina,” a nearby cook whispered to her, mistaking her stillness for fear, “you should get out of here. We don’t want you hurt.”

She internally scoffed. They’re so cute. They think that she couldn’t handle herself. Her father would have never let her travel alone if she couldn’t fight. Neither would her uncle, but he wouldn’t have let his “little birdy” leave at all. The cook’s pleads were forgotten when a bang rang out into the restaurant, leaving a shattered and blackened door in its place. Did Patty just… shoot Krieg... through the door?

“Shit, I think I broke the door,” Patty said, patting the gun. _No, shit_ , thought Sera. “The boss will be pissed.”

“It’s okay,” the cook beside her spoke up. “We’re protecting the place.”

“So, what are we gonna do about those people on Krieg’s ship?” Everyone turned to Sanji, their thoughts returning to the forgotten pirates.

“Why don’t we just butter it up and set fire to it?” Patty offered. Seraphina gave him a look, while Patty just shrugged.

“That sounds delicious!” Don Krieg was standing in the doorway again looking a little shabby but still intimidating.  His armor stood out more now, the gleaming metal shining in the light of the sun. “Stupid cook. Giving me such an awful dessert. DESPICABLE!”

The cooks bolted forward, branding their chosen weapons at the frightful so-called King of the East Blue. In return, the pirate captain pulled out multiple guns and shot straight at the wave of cooks, shouting nonsense as he did. So unclassy. A strong hand pushed down behind a fallen table, shielding her from the stray bullets. Sanji.

“It can shoot?” The blond whispered, mostly to himself.

“I’m the strongest man alive!” Don Krieg shouted to no one who really cared what he thought of himself.

Seraphina scoffed to herself. _I dare you to tell that to Whitebeard._ Poking her head from behind the table, despite Sanji’s urges, she decided to quietly observe the dumb captain before putting him down.

“I’ve never lost a battle in my life!” Krieg kept shouting.

 _Well, obviously you did…._ Despite how badly Seraphina wanted to voice her observations, she bit her tongue. A gentle tap on her shoulder had the woman looking up from out of her temporary hiding space, only to find the restaurant owner slinging a bag of food over his shoulder.

“Stay down,” Zeff whispered to her. When she huffed in reply, slightly insulted by everyone thinking she couldn’t handle herself, he merely raised an eyebrow at her but continued on his original task. “Here’s food for one hundred men.”

“Owner Zeff!” The cooks shouted out, obviously shocked by Zeff’s display.

Don Krieg’s eyes widened at the name, his pupils narrowing and his brows furrowing. “Z-Zeff?”

“Go ahead, Gin. Take it,” Zeff ordered the first mate, dropping the bag of food as he completely disregarding the protests from his workers.

“He’ll take over the restaurant!”

“Only if they’ve got the guts,” scoffed Zeff to his employees. “Isn’t that right? Defeated warrior of the Grand Line?”

How pathetic, he couldn’t even get through the first half _of_ the first half. Seraphina knew he was defeated close to the beginning, for if he was defeated further in, he wouldn’t have made it out alive. Quite honestly, she was surprised he even made it out.

“You- You’re Zeff the Red Leg!” Don Krieg shouted, his eyes widening and his pupils dilating. Seraphina squinted at him, not sure to what he was referencing. Obviously Zeff, but the cook might not have made it far enough into the Grand Line to make a lasting impact on the inhabitants of the dangerous sea. “So, you’re alive? One of the greatest pirates in history!”

“And,” the cook questioned, raising a brow at the pathetic pirate captain. “It’s got nothing to do with you. As you can see, I’m living as a cook now.” The old man gestured to himself standing proud in his chef’s hat.

“That’s a nice way of saying it,” the false Don sneered, giving a mocking tone to his words. “From the look of things, it’s not that you chose to be a cook, but it’s the only thing you’re able to do. You were an expert at fighting without your hands, but it looks as if you lost your precious leg of yours.” Krieg gestured to the man’s missing leg, the peg keeping him up as a constant reminder that the chef could no longer battle. Well, he probably could do battle in the Blue Seas but not the Grand Line and definitely not the in New World.

“I don’t need to fight,” Zeff replied coolly, keeping his voice level. “I don’t need my foot to cook, as long as I have a pair of hands.”

“Red-Foot Zeff, you’re a man who once braved the waters of the Grand Line! You even returned!” Krieg’s eyes sparked with greed as he rubbed his chin. “Captain’s keep a log of their journeys, so you must have one! Give it to me!”

“Woah!” Seraphina turned to an excited chore boy.  Luffy had stars in his eyes as he spoke to the owner of the restaurant. “So you’ve been to the Grand Line too!”

“Yes,” Zeff sighed at his incapable chore boy. He then turned to the Don. “I have the journal, but I’m not going to give it to you. That journal isn’t just mine, it’s the pride of my entire crew. It’s far too valuable for the like of you.”

“Then I’ll take it from you,” Krieg growled, a big sneer forming on his face. Intimidation can get you places but not everywhere. “I couldn’t get through the Grand Line, that’s true. But it was only because I lacked information! I’ll get that journal and then I’ll be come the Pirate King!”

“Hey!” The raven-haired boy clenched his fists beside Seraphina; the woman dropping her jaw in shock. Luffy pointed towards Krieg, “I’m going to be the King of the Pirates!”

Don Krieg paused, a look of disbelief resting on his face as he tried to cope with the fact that the scrawny looking kid didn’t fear him. “What did you say, _boy?_ I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear that.”

“You don’t have to,” Luffy smiled, putting a hand on his hat, a habit that Seraphina would come to notice. “I’m just saying the truth.”

Seraphina turned away from the pair and hid her smile under her hands, struggling to contain her laughter as Don Krieg snarled his words at Luffy. The boy only smiled and responded with a few words of his own.

“This isn’t a game,” Don Krieg snarled again.

“Of course, it isn’t.”

“It’s not funny, you brat!” Krieg yelled at the boy, a statement the barista couldn’t agree with. “It may just have been a lack of information, but even a fleet of 5000 men was defeated in seven days! What makes you think you can make it?!”

Seraphina couldn’t help it; she started shaking as she tried to muffle her growing laughter at the Don’s failure. She really shouldn’t, if her father were here, he would be shaking his head and telling her to keep her cool. But a week? That was bad, even if she knew how violent and barbaric the Grand Line is. Unfortunately, her muffled laughter was mistaken for sobs. A nearby cook gently patted her on the back, feeling pity for the barista that he thought was crying in fear.

“Sev— seven days?” Someone whispered. “What happened to them?”

“Shall I kill you right now?” Krieg growled.

 _Is that all he can do?_ Seraphina thought.

“If you think you’re up to it,” Luffy deadpanned in a plain voice, causing Seraphina to laugh harder with small noises slipping out of her hands.

“You starting a fight, Luffy?” A familiar voice spoke up. Zoro.

“Yeah, just sit and watch,” Luffy responded to his first mate.

Don Krieg laughed when he saw Luffy’s crew: just two men, one watching the quivering woman on the floor and the other with his shaking legs. “Is that it?!”

“Hey!” Luffy yelled, his brows narrowing in offense. “There are three more!”

“Don’t count Seraphina and me in!” Sanji protested.

“I don’t really care,” Don Krieg snarled. “I’ll take care of you guys later.” Krieg picked up the almost forgotten bag of food, slinging it over his shoulder. “I need to feed my men.” He gave a glance to the shaking woman. “For those who don’t wish to die, you’d better not be here when I return. I only want the journal and this ship.” He turned and walked out the door towards his ship.

Gin took this time to speak up, bowing down to Sanji. “I’m sorry. I never would’ve imagined things to turn out his way.”

“There’s no need for an apology,” Zeff spoke up, casting a quick worried glance towards his only female employee, making a mental note to get her off the ship before Krieg comes back. “We feed anyone who comes along.”

“Why are you siding with Sanji?!” The cook next to the barista shouted.

“Hey, this is his fault!”

“Shut up,” Zeff snapped, hushing his cooks and quieting the barista. “You don’t understand starving. Sanji knows.” Sera settled down her silent laughter, stopping in respect to what Sanji had suffered through. “Now get out of here!”

Protests and shouts came from everyone, even a small objection coming from the bluenette and a lengthy speech from Sanji of which she ignored.

“Hey, Gin!” A high-pitched voice came over all the others, the owner of the voice tilting his head. “You said that you knew nothing about the Grand Line, right? But you have been there, haven’t you?”

“We don’t know anything,” Gin admitted, collapsing on the floor, while Sera stood up having finally calmed down her laughter. “What happened at the Grand Line on the seventh day.… It was like a dream…. Just one man destroyed a whole fleet of 50 ships!”

Sera snapped her head towards the first mate, her eyes widening as she had a realization. That confirmed her previous theory. It was _him,_ a man she didn’t want to see yet. And he never lets his prey leave from his clutches. He left the crew alone to play with them.

“It all happened so suddenly,” the first mate continued, clutching his head as he recalled his short journey. “He showed up out of nowhere and started sinking our ships, one after the other.” That does sound like Mihawk. He likes to hang around the beginning of Paradise to weed out the weak pirates, which was pretty much all of them to be honest. “If a storm hadn’t come along, our maiden ship would’ve been destroyed too. I don’t want to even think about what happened. That man— his stare pierces through you, like the eyes of a hawk!”

Zoro straightened when he heard the pirate’s words, his hands clutching his swords tighter as his ultimate goal in life replayed through his head for the millionth time. Dracule Mihawk. The greatest swordsman alive. His movements not going unnoticed by the barista. “What did you say?!”

Zeff spoke up, wanting to inform his staff. “Hmm, that must be the man known as—"

“Dracule Mihawk,” Seraphina whispered, her voice dropping out at the end. It had been so long since she had last seen him. “His eyes so golden and so striking, they can see right through you,” she shivered, remembering his scrutinizing stare, while a different swordsman watched her.

Zeff narrowed his eyes at his employee, wondering when and where exactly she had met the infamous warlord and gotten away with it; even he hasn’t met him. Regardless, he nodded his head in agreement, “It sounds like something he would do.”

“Maybe he had some kind of grudge to settle with you guys,” Sanji suggested ignoring the conversation that the Straw Hat captain and first mate were having. Gin shook his head no, while Sera shook her head in agreement the pirate.

“Maybe you guys disturbed his nap?” Zeff offered, a bit too involved in figuring out why Hawk-Eyes attacked.

Sera shrugged and started examining her nails out of her growing boredom now that Krieg wasn’t here. “Maybe, but he might have also just been bored. He usually likes to go after new rookies in Paradise.”

“Just what kind of place is that?” Usopp screamed at the barista with his shaking legs. Zeff merely narrowed his eyes even more at the woman, his suspicions growing.

“A place where anything happens,” Zoro responded to the long-nosed man, his eyes squinting at the waitress. Usopp screamed again, his legs starting to shake as he begged his captain to not go to the Grand Line, his legs shaking even more as Luffy refused. “He’ll definitely be there, right, Sera?”

Sera blinked at him but slowly nodded. “You’re not seriously considering going after him, are you?”

“Are you morons?” Sanji spoke up, lighting a cigarette. Sera lightly smacked him on his chest, earning her a shrug from the blond. “You must be so eager to die.”

“Yeah,” the swordsman admitted. “But it’s none of your business. When I decide to become the greatest swordsman in the world, I threw away the rest of my life. I’m the only one who can say that I’m an idiot.”

 _Wow, what dedication,_ thought Sera. She hadn’t seen anything like that in a while; most of the people were already in the Grand Line, not sitting around waiting in a calm Blue.

“Hey, guys!” Patty shouted in her delicate ears. “You guys do realize Krieg is going to come back, right?”

“Hey! I can hear them come!” The cooks scrambled around gathering their weapons and moving debris out of the way as to not cause causalities to their own people, Luffy’s crew and the blond cooks standing still. Someone tugged on her sleeve. “Phina, you gotta get outta here.”

“Why? I can fight fine,” Sera turned to the cook. She raised an eyebrow at the man, giving him a quizzical look as he tried ushering her out. He opened his mouth in response, only to be shut up by the chanting of the now fed pirates of Krieg’s, their shouts rough against her ears. She rolled her eyes. “Ugh, they’re so loud.”

Zoro shot her a look, of which Sera ignored. Suddenly, the galleon in front of the ship split in half, the pieces scattering in perfect cuts into the ocean blue as the waves rocked the Baratie, a signature not written by words but by cuts from the world’s greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk. To both of their confusion, Zoro quickly reached over and grabbed the woman, steadying her against the stair railing so they wouldn’t fall down as the ship settled down. His eyes widened in a realization.

“Shit,” he hissed out. “Nami, Yosaku, and Johnny are still on our ship!” And with that, the man left her side as quickly as he joined her, running outside on the deck, understandably leaving her for his friends. Sera steadied herself with the bar counter; she was glad she had chosen to wear flats today. Although unprepared to see Mihawk again, she hesitantly joined her employer out on the deck to find what kind of damage Mihawk was going to do today.

“It’s him,” Zeff whispered when he caught sight of the swordsman’s signature boat. Sera grinned, not going unnoticed by Zeff.

“Usopp, let’s go!” Zoro shouted out, bringing himself and his crew members to Sera’s attention. He was clutching his swords on his side, prepping the small ship to set sail.

“Luffy,” Usopp asked to the younger male, “what about you?”

Luffy shook his head, gesturing to the Baratie. “I haven’t fully repaid the restaurant yet, so I can’t go.” Seraphina must say, she was shocked by the kid’s sense of responsibility— when he had it.

His first mate turned back to him. “Be careful. Things are getting crazy here.”

“Yeah,” the boy nodded, “I know.”

“We’re doomed!” An unknown pirate screamed. Seraphina chose this chance to return to her search of spotting Mihawk, joining Zeff at his side as he carefully watched her for anything to confirm his suspicions. His boat slowly drifted in from the currents, adding a ridiculous dramatic effect on his introduction. Sera rolled her eyes.

“Zoro,” the straw-hat boy asked in his high voice, “who the heck is he?”

“That man….” Zoro started, “That man is the man I’ve been searching for, Hawk-Eyes Mihawk.” That caught Sera’s attention most of all. Why was he searching for someone so far out of his lead? To ask Mihawk to train him? He doesn’t take pupils. There’s no way Zoro wanted to battle him; he would get his ass kicked! “I never thought I’d be able to meet him so soon. Finally, the destined time has come.”

“You bastard!” A nearby pirate shouted at Mihawk from the sliced ship. “Why did you attack us?”

“To kill time,” the swordsman’s fluid voice reached Sera’s ears, causing the woman to throw back her head and laugh out at the man’s words, drawing the eyes of everyone, including the legendary man’s. All the laughter that had built inside her let out, coating the ocean in her ringing fits of laughter. Mihawk smiled, recognizing the laughter that was so like her mother’s, relishing in the familiarity. Jaws dropped while equally shocked eyes widened. Most stared at the two with unbelievable fear, some who feared for the woman and others who feared the man with the legendary sword. “My little blue fish, it’s been so long.”

The woman’s smile widened when she heard her familiar title, a title she hadn’t heard in years. She sprinted across the defeated galleon, carefully stepping over the wood and pirates to get to the man who was currently smirking at her. Arms held out wide, Seraphina leapt out to wrap the man in her arms, the swordsman allowing himself this bit of physical contact in front of all the spectators only for the fact that he hasn’t seen the bluenette in quiet some time. His strong arms snaked his way across the small of her back as she buried her face in his cape. Her eyes were sparking, reflecting the piercing gaze of the man’s own eyes; the golden orbs being the one feature all the witnesses noticed the two shared.

“Papa!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read and review!


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